The Week in Philly from KYW Newsradio

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Does sex on TV and in movies really sell? Nov 16, 2023

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Think young people want sex and romance in their TV shows or movies? Think again. At least that’s what a recent study from UCLA’s Center for Scholars & Storytellers found. More than half of adolescents ages 13-24 surveyed said they want to see an increase in themes about friendship and platonic relationships, while nearly 45% felt sex is an unnecessary part of TV and movie plots. Dr. Kathleen Bogle, Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice at La Salle University, takes a closer look at UCLA’s data, and discusses whether or not it could ultimately move the needle in Hollywood.

The NCAA's incredibly bleak outlook Nov 14, 2023

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We can’t wait to find out who’s going to make the College Football Playoffs. And oh! College hoops season just started, too. But guess what? For as much as mid-fall should be peak season for college sports, legal tea leaves suggest otherwise. In fact, depending on how a couple key court cases shake out, the NCAA could be in for a world of trouble. University of Pennsylvania Adjunct Assistant Professor and Academic Director Dr. Karen Weaver is an expert on the inner workings of college sports. She examines a few of the biggest issues confronting the NCAA today.

The life-saving links between communication, cultural competency, and healthcare Nov 09, 2023

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Imagine you're in the midst of a medical emergency. You know to call 911, but the voice on the other end either can’t understand you, you can’t understand them, or both. This obstacle presents problems for members of immigrant communities. Dr. Van Hellerslia, a clinical associate professor at the Temple University School of Pharmacy, is hoping her efforts can offer a blueprint for breaking down these barriers. A Vietnam native, Hellerslia received a $231,000 grant to work on decreasing the impact of strokes on Vietnamese Americans. She shares her insights on how language and cultural competency leads to more effective care.

The age of constant political campaigning Nov 07, 2023

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It seems like as soon as one election ends, or even before, we’re looking ahead to the next one. Candidates announce that they’re running years in advance, and the media shares polls that could change drastically before any voting actually happens. Voters can start to feel burnt out, and people in office have to focus more on campaigning than actually governing - but candidates need time to get their message out. Is it helpful or harmful to have such a long buildup to each election? Dr. Benjamin Dworkin, director of the Rowan University Institute for Public Policy & Citizenship, joins us to talk about how elections got this way and the effects this has on voters and our government.

Why do we always think the economy is bad? Nov 02, 2023

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It seems like every piece of good economic news - like the GDP increasing at an impressive annual rate of 4.9% in the third quarter of 2023 - is presented with a “but”. Then there's unemployment, interest rates, inflation…what should we really be paying attention to? Dr. Mark Stehr is the director of the School of Economics at Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business. He sits down with us to talk about how experts analyze the economy, what it all means for everyday people, where we are right now, and why there always seems to be a negative spin to economic discussions.

Food banks on the frontline of battles over basic needs Oct 31, 2023

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Food or rent? Food or life-saving surgery? These are the seemingly impossible decisions that food bank patrons all over the country face every single day. Take the Chester County Food Bank, for instance. Just because it's located in the wealthiest suburb in Pennsylvania doesn't make it immune to serving people who find themselves in these types of dilemmas. In addition to making sure everyone who needs food gets it, Chester County Food Bank Senior Manager of Advocacy and Government Relations Nick Imbesi also wants elected officials to hear the stories he hears. Take a listen, and find out how a local food bank's findings speak to a broader issue affecting the United States as a whole.

"Is this real life?": worsening storms pose urgent questions, possible solutions Oct 26, 2023

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Raging wildfires. Massive flooding. Catastrophic tornadoes and earthquakes. 2023 has produced a litany of intense natural disasters - and costly ones, too. Here in the United States, storms have done the most damage, with 18 leaving at least a billion dollars worth of destruction in their wake. Should we expect this to be the new normal? Drs. Stephen Strader and Samantha Chapman, both from Villanova University, examine the factors fueling the surge behind these dangerous storms, while offering hope for how, with the right resources, effective mitigation strategies could be adopted moving forward.

Why new CDC director Dr. Mandy Cohen thinks public health is a national security issue Oct 24, 2023

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Dr. Mandy Cohen was sworn in as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this summer and she is now tasked with leading an agency that took its share of heat over the last few years. She gets that most people have pandemic fatigue, and that access to health care is inadequate for certain segments of the population. Still, Cohen has hope that with the right resources, the U.S. can start addressing public health as if it were a national security issue. Check out her exclusive conversation with KYW Newsradio's Matt Leon.

Flush it out: how wastewater can help improve public health Oct 19, 2023

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During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when it came to information, one of the more interesting things was learning how wastewater could be tested and help gauge just how much of the virus was in a given community. While case counts and such don't make the headlines any more, the technology continues to grow and it is used to track much more than just COVID. Dr. Marlene Wolfe is an assistant professor in the school of public health at Emory University down in Georgia and also Program Director of WastewaterSCAN - a nationwide program working with wastewater treatment plants to scan for various viruses and diseases. We spoke with her about how this all works, what it used for now and what we could see down the road.

As violence increases, school safety evolves Oct 17, 2023

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School safety is at the top of every parent and educator’s mind these days, between mass shootings, gun violence in the streets, and threats against students in marginalized groups. How can we protect and prepare students for a possible attack without adding anxiety and trauma in the process? Dr. Roderick Sams is the Chief Development officer for CENTEGIX, a safety platform that helps school staff send alerts quickly when a threat occurs, and he’s a former principal. Stacey Locke is the Deputy Superintendent for the Yakima School District in Yakima, WA, where she’s had to respond to multiple school shootings. We talk with both of them about how to address safety in schools, how new technology can help, and how this conversation has changed over the past few decades.

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